Messaging under pressure: How SEA's communicators navigate socio-political chaos

The footage was familiar - streets packed with placards, young voices demanding change, news tickers looping unrest. Across Indonesia and the Philippines, over the past few months, political protests collided with economic anxiety and environmental crises.

For communications professionals in these markets, especially those managing international clients, the latest wave of crises has tested more than just campaign calendars or creative timing - they’ve revealed how fragile global messaging can become in moments of national tension. In Jakarta, anger flared over lawmakers’ privileges and remarks, spilling into protests that paralysed parts of the city. In Manila, public anger over corruption and governance short comings, compounded by ongoing floods and typhoons, forced brands to navigate not just outrage, but a deep sense of exhaustion.

PR firms managing multinational clients in both markets believe this turbulence exposed the thin line between presence and prudence. The old rules of crisis communication of quick responses, polished statements, and top-down alignment, became strained when the streets moved faster than corporate hierarchy, and when tone missteps could easily trigger backlash.

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The first instinct: Pause, listen, localise

The week Jakarta’s streets filled with chants, three client events at APRW Indonesia - a mix of industry and media engagements - were set to go live. Then came the call that changed everything. In quick succession, the agency had pivoted - turning one of the agendas, hosted by the Singapore Chamber of Commerce (SingCham) Indonesia, into a virtual session, while other activities were postponed.

But such a decision wasn’t about optics; it was about emotional intelligence. International clients, unfamiliar with Indonesia’s current volatility, could take the disruption for routine, yet local communicators know better. They read between headlines and sentiment shifts - understanding that once public anger ignites, even neutral corporate activity can feel discordant.

As APRW director Anu Gupta told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the first challenge is psychological - “a feeling of panic and out of control”. But the real skill lies in restraint - knowing when not to speak or make a presence. SingCham Indonesia chairman Shoeb Kagda recounted that an emergency meeting was immediately called the day after the unrest broke out to deliberate on whether the event could move forward. “The decision was taken in the interest of safety and an abundance of caution, to pivot to hosting the event online,” he said.

Social media as wildfire

Industry players MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to say effective PR during unrest starts with listening to the people closest to the ground and adjusting global expectations before local teams are drowned out by caution memos.

In both countries, social media accelerated unrest faster than institutions could process it. According to Gupta, this included “rumours and false narratives” - particularly affecting regional firms. In Indonesia’s case, social platforms amplified viral hashtags but also turned into echo chambers for ethnically charged provocation, further stoking tensions. For agencies, this meant crisis response could not wait too long for confirmation, as reaction windows had shrunk to mere minutes.

Some agencies noted that sometimes, not being based in the country of conflict, could lead to underestimation of the pace needed to address situations. When crisis unfolds at “street and feed” speed, coordination delays between headquarters and local offices become liabilities. The best defence, experts said, is a communication chain that moves horizontally, not hierarchically - where local voices lead and HQ listens. This requires a philosophical shift in authority: global consistency gives way to local command. Trusting in-country communicators to act first - within a framework of ethical clarity - is now a survival principle, not an experiment.

Carlos Mori Rodriguez, chief innovation officer of EON Group, one of the Philippines’ leading consultancies, said the real gap wasn’t just knowledge, but decision velocity. “So we built faster bridges between communicators, policy experts, and client teams, allowing decisions to be made in real time with the right context,” he emphasised. 

The approach also relies on vigilance. SingCham noted that when the unrest flared, it immediately informed members to stay cautious and closely follow developments on the ground. “The key to operating in a market such as Indonesia where unrest can flare up at any time and with little warning is to be nimble and alert,” said Kagda.

The Philippine code: Proof over promise

As of Thursday morning, the latest typhoon strike - Tino, or Kalmaegi - had claimed over 100 lives, deepening a national mood already weighed down by grief and frustration. In Manila, the unrest blurred the line between political fatigue and disaster recovery. When typhoons and floods struck amid protests, campaigns didn’t just pause - they were forced to rethink what relevance and empathy meant in real time. EON Group’s Rodriguez reframed activity from consumption to compassion.

Rather than press on, we have had to pivot campaigns into quieter, more service-oriented forms of engagement.

At EON, two parallel crises brought these principles to life. In one case, a beauty brand had to manage fallout after its star influencer was indirectly swept into a political controversy. Such partnerships are especially vulnerable in volatile times, Rodriguez noted, as audiences rarely separate the individual from the brand. “Sometimes the responsible decision is to step back rather than push forward.”

At the same time, an automotive brand found itself adjusting course in the wake of a calamity. Both cases showed that relevance isn’t about visibility in every moment, but empathy in the right one.

During political unrest, sentiment is volatile and scrutiny of brands is sharper, he added. This shift mirrors a deeper trend revealed in EON’s 2024 Philippine Trust Study: Filipinos “trust with caution.” They reward brands that demonstrate competence and honesty but punish any hint of manipulation or opportunism.

That consumer mindset has turned crisis marketing into trust marketing. Campaigns that once sold celebration now sell solidarity. Events now carry contingency layers - if the city floods, go digital; if sentiment sours, go silent. The future of brand relevance, Rodriguez argued, lies in modularity - the ability to adapt tone, timing, and touchpoints overnight. “Proof matters more than promises.”

Policy theatre and public perception

Unrest rarely exists in isolation. It ripples through policy, triggering swift regulatory reactions that may look like governance but function more like political theatre. Burson Indonesia CEO Marianne Admardatine described this as the deeper risk: the invisible test that follows visible protests.

“Policymakers often feel compelled to act decisively, triggering sudden policy enforcements that can sometimes appear more like political theatre than genuine reform,” she said. For global brands, that means communication strategies can’t just address public sentiment; they must anticipate regulatory mood swings and media framing. Mapping influence networks - from ministry advisers to digital opinion leaders - has become as vital as drafting statements.

“Businesses that emerge stronger from unrest are those that have invested in long-term relationships, not just with regulators, but with the communities and voices that define public sentiment,” she added.

Admardatine’s principle of “respond, don’t react” underpins a larger balance: effective crisis communication demands both urgency and discipline - acknowledging the situation swiftly while ensuring every statement is verified, measured, and consistent with the brand’s values.

It’s easy to assume that unrest or public debate sits outside the corporate sphere, yet the underlying issues often connect directly to a company’s stakeholders, purpose, or operating environment.

Technology meets trust

Crisis communication is no longer intuition-driven. Burson’s proprietary AI platform, Decipher, and EON’s use of custom GPTs point to a regional evolution where automation augments human instinct. These tools analyse sentiment, test messaging, and simulate reputational outcomes before campaigns go live.

But even the most advanced systems depend on one factor - context. Putting it bluntly, Rodriguez said, “Velocity means nothing without understanding.” AI might speed decision-making, but only local fluency gives it direction. In practice, technology is becoming a “trust multiplier”. It helps agencies respond fast while remaining consistent. But the human core - empathy, timing, cultural calibration - remains irreplaceable.

Perhaps the most profound shift is structural. Across markets, agencies are moving from centralised control to distributed trust - empowering local teams to make ethical decisions. EON formalised this through what it calls a trust table: a rapid verification hub where local, regional, and agency leads align tone and facts before going public. It keeps messaging coherent without enforcing uniformity - a model that could redefine global crisis governance.

The regional lesson is clear: in Southeast Asia’s age of simultaneous political, economic, and environmental crises, PR is no longer about damage control - it’s about trust choreography. As Admardatine puts it, “Speed matters, but precision builds long-term value.”

As the unrest fades from headlines, one truth remains: The brands that listened hardest will be remembered longest.

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